Monday, June 8, 2015

Women on Bikes Series: Leticia Villarreal

My plans for 2015 are to continue
racing with a concentration on enduro. I will also be racing for The Path Factory Team. Other plans for 2015 include more
relaxation and catching up on sleep missed in 2014.

Outside of
biking I make a living working at the Orange County Water District as Administrative
Support Specialist to Hydrogeology and Health & Regulatory Affairs.

I was
previously in construction for 17 years. I am involved with the International
Association of Administrative Professionals and hold the title as Board
Secretary for my local chapter.

I was
diagnosed with Lupus in 2000 and have had few minor and not so minor
complications. Mountain biking is my big middle finger to illness.

I started
riding about 10 years ago. But had the itch years before, I just didn’t know
anyone who mountain biked. One day my cousin mentioned her husband came home
with mountain bikes. Within a week, I went out to my local shop and bought my
first bike, a Giant Boulder SE. While at the bike shop I picked up a flyer advertising
a mountain bike class at the local community college for PE credits! I registered
for that class. That introduced me to some local trails and some new riding friends.
One of them is now married with kids to one of my best friends!

What motivated you to ride as
much as you have over the years?

Life!
Different things have motivated me over the years….wanting to meet people (friends and boys), then subsequent
riding to get over said boy (!), weight loss, stress release, earning dessert. I
can pretty much come up with any reason to motivate myself into a bike ride.

What would be your favorite
competitive biking event and why do you enjoy competing?

I have to
say my favorite is the Southridge Series, I compete in Super D. It was my first
mountain bike race and it’s like home to me. I had watched my then boyfriend
compete there for years prior to trying it myself. I’ve made some good racing
friends there. It’s the small community of people I look forward to seeing
every winter when the series starts. I’ve never thought myself to be a
competitive person but racing has awakened that side of me and I’m learning to
embrace it. It’s given me confidence that I didn’t have before and it has
spread to other areas of my life both personal and professional.

Do you remember how you felt on
your first mountain bike ride?

I was naïve
and thought it would be easy since I’ve always loved riding bikes. I even made
plans to ride twice in one day! Oh the
foolishness! My first official ride was with the mountain biking class, it went
so well (not) that one of the guys
had to push my on all the uphills since I was so weak. It was horrible. But I
loved it. And on a side note that really nice guy is now married to one of my
best friends.

If you had nervousness at all,
what did you do or think to overcome it?

I’m a
nervous Nellie. And 100% of that is in my head. I’m still fighting it every
ride. I wish I had an off switch. Some of my best riding was during emotional
times in my life. I had so much that I wanted to purge I just didn’t care or
think too much about the trail. If anyone knows how to channel that during
happy times I’d pay for that pill.

Do you use clipless pedals? If
yes, what are some tips/suggestions for beginners that you would share? If no,
are you thinking of trying it out at all?

I use
clipless pedals on my XC bike and flats on my all mountain bike. I HATED them
at first. I used them early on. I remember riding around in circles in my
parents’ backyard. Then I tried them out on the trail. Everyone charged off and
I tipped over and could not get back up, very frustrating. So I would say start
in an area you are comfortable, and just ride around in circles, practicing
clipping in and out until you are comfortable to try a longer distance. You
will tip over; it’s part of the process.

Have you had any biffs that were
challenging for you on a physical/mental/emotional level? What did you do to
heal and overcome?

I had one
bad crash years back that took forever for me to overcome. I was afraid of
anything technical, I slowly got back on the bike but it took a while to get
that trust back. Like the cliché….time healed that wound.

When you started out riding, what
were some handling skills that challenged you? Do you have any suggestions for
what helped you grasp them?

When I first
started riding I had little fear, it was the injuries and falls that taught me
fear. I’m a work in progress, I always will be. I still struggle with steep
sections. We all have our different fears and as long as it doesn’t keep you
from riding then we are overcoming them.

Are there still handling or
technical riding aspects that you find tricky? How do you not let that drag you
down when riding?

Switchbacks,
right handed downhill switchbacks! It’s a weird mental block for me. Just
keep at it. One day I will conquer it.
As long as I keep moving forward then that’s all that matters to
me.

You plan to ride more enduro next
year, tell us why you enjoy enduro!

Enduro
challenges all of your biking senses; endurance, downhill, and technical
abilities are all put to a test. I have grown more in my skill set in the one
season of enduro racing than in any other discipline I’ve tried. It’s exciting.
It’s a little less intimidating than a cross country race where you are shoulder
to shoulder with people. Enduro is just you and your bike and the trail. The atmosphere
is social and supporting.

What other styles of mtb riding
do you like and why?

I love a
good long adventure ride. It doesn’t have to have any features so long as I’m
out away from the world. I’m working on my DH skills. I’d like to learn to
jump. Like any relationship spicing it up with something new is mandatory every
few years.

What do you love about riding
your bike?

Freedom! It’s
like going back in time and being a kid again. Riding fits all my moods.

Tell us about your bike(s), what
they are like and why did you choose them?

I currently
have 4 bikes, my XC rig is a Giant Lust. I choose the Lust because it fit. Being 5’
it’s challenging to find a bike that fits. Giant has been good with sizing and
their bikes need little adjustment for me to ride them and they’ve been great
bikes (I’ve owned three Giants since I
started riding and loved all of them). I also have a Pivot 5.7 that I use for enduro racing. This one took a few
adjustments but it’s been a good bike and rides like a dream. I also have a MarinTreviso road bike and a beach cruiser.

What clothing/bike accessories do
you love? What would you recommend to your friends?

I’m short
and most regular riding shorts fit me like knickers, which unless they really
are knickers is just not cute! My favorite brand that works for my short legs
is Zoic. I LOVE their shorts and have been riding in them for years. My jersey
collection is across the board.

You are an active member for
Girlz Gone Riding and Trail Angels, tell us why you enjoy being involved with
both groups-

I am a
natural networker. With two large diverse groups you are never at a shortage of
riding buddies. Plus I like to explore, I don’t mind driving an hour to ride at
a new spot; having two groups in different geographical regions feeds that
need.

What do you feel are benefits of
being involved with women riding groups?

There is support,
understanding, comradery to name a few. Don’t get me wrong, I ride co-ed most
of the time but there are times when I just need a girl’s ride. There are just
things a guy won’t get. And I don’t know about most people but I have a hard
time learning from a significant other. No better way to start an argument. I
love riding with women who take chances and pick good lines. Pick someone you
want to ride like and follow them.

Why should others consider
joining a local riding group (or start their own?)

A riding
group is a good way to find your tribe or your riding bestie. If you ride with
a group long enough you find a few special people to bond with. The trails are
our schoolyard. Make friends and play!

I also think
it’s good to have options. Even when I ride alone, if I’m at a local trail
there is a 90% chance I’m going to run into someone I know. Just saying hi and
knowing people out on the trail gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

What do you feel deters women
from getting involved with cycling? Especially mountain biking?

Men! No, I think it’s our own fears. We have
a way of talking ourselves out of a lot of fun. I hear a lot of my friends who
don’t ride say things like….’one day,
when I lose a little weight, when I feel I’m in better shape, it looks like fun
but I couldn’t do that, do I have to wear those funny shorts?!’ I have
Lupus and when I had my first serious complication in 2000, I told myself I was
done waiting for the perfect time. I wish I didn’t have to say it took a
serious illness to get me out there but that was the catapult. I hope I can
encourage women to stop waiting, take your leap! It doesn’t have to be mountain bike but find your thing that enriches your
life.

What do you feel could happen to
make changes and/or encourage more women to ride?

There have
never been so many resources out there for women and it keeps growing. This is
a very exciting time to be a female mountain biker. Find a beginner ride, or
post your own ride. Be encouraging of ladies, remember where you started and
don’t be overzealous that you might scare a newbie.

What inspires you to encourage
women to ride?

I have so
much fun doing what I do that I just want everyone to experience that joy. When
people hear about my biking or racing they make me out to be some sort of super
girl but I’m not!! I’m just like everyone else and just about anyone can
experience this life. There is no magical formula except desire.

Tell us a random fact about
yourself!

I don’t know
if it’s random but I have a mild obsession with goats and any type of baby farm
animal.